Red Line-Fourth Reich War
The Red Line-Fourth Reich War is a major conflict fought between forces of the Red Line and the Fourth Reich. The result of an ideological struggle, the war has caused widespread destabilisation and economic damage across the Metro. It is possibly the longest and bloodiest conflict to ever occur in the Metro Series. Background Origin of the conflict The war is believe to have originated from the Hansa- Red Line War, the first conventional major conflict fought in the Metro, between the Red Line, and an Anti-Communist Alliance composed of the Hanseatic League (Hansa) and the Arbat Confederation. Many believe that radical or dissatisfied members from the Coalition split off to form what became the Fourth Reich, in order to continue the war against the Red Line and eventually seek their destruction. The tension cannot be drawn back to a specific point, but since their formations, the Red Line and the Fourth Reich have always been hostile to each other. Early fighting Fighting was initially limited to numerous skirmishes and low-level violence until recent years where the Reich and the Red Line had been clashing severely, and the escalation of violence between the two can be considered the second conventional war in the post-war Metro. This soon turned into a total war, with each side using the majority of their resources in the conflict. 2033 Battle for the Bridge One major battle of the war is noted and actually experienced in Metro 2033, The Battle for the Bridge, which is featured on the level Frontline. By 2033, the front line had become stuck in an endless stalemate with constant fighting over a large two tunnel-wide section located between the major Lubyanka and Tverskaya stations, controlled by the Red Line and Reich, respectively. The battle has become infamous among Red and Nazi troops alike, who refer to it simply as "Bridge", for the extreme amounts of violence and casualties. The Red Line often launch wave attack upon wave attack of untrained and poorly equipped troops at the Reich's defensive line, but are always slaughtered by the superiorly trained and well equipped Reich army. As one Red soldier describes it "Attack, counter-attack, attack again no end in sight". Despite the Nazis suffering very few casualties, the relentless attacks have stopped the Reich's ability to mount their own assaults, repeating the cycle. 2034 Ceasefire By 2034, an unstable truce had been negotiated between the two factions. Although this halted most of the regular violence, their relations were still cold at best, with spies from both sides have been rumored to operate in each others territory and minor skirmishes are still numerous. Red Line Offensive After the Polis Peace Conference, the truce was broken when the Red Line launched a massive offensive against much of the Metro as part of their overall strategy to conquer it. Major combat between the two reignited as a second front opened up in the southern tunnel that connects the Red Line and the Reich. The offensive against the Nazi fortifications which included a combination of human wave attacks, heavy assault infantry, and a large armored tank rail-car, was repelled by Reich stormtroopers. Aftermath While the result of the offensive cannot be confirmed except that it was a failure, it can be assumed that it severely damaged the Red Line's fighting capabilities, as most of their best men and equipment were lost. There is a possibility that the Reich has taken over both fronts and is currently winning the war. Effects on The Metro Other factions The war in recent times has caused major destabilization and affected trade through-out the Metro, especially in the central stations. Any settlements near even a small Red line and Reich skirmish are vulnerable to being ransacked, and trade routes have suffered as the conflicts prolong. This has resulted in attempted intervention by Polis, while Hansa tightens its defences near its borders with the two powers, however still retains trading relationships with both sides. Casualties Both sides have suffered large amounts casualties throughout the war, more so the Red Line than the Reich. While no exact or even rough estimates have been given on the number of casualties, by examining the tactics of both sides it can be concluded that the Reich's casualties number in the low hundreds, and that the Red Line's casualties number in the high-hundreds, or even in the thousands, due to their extensive use of human wave attacks and their failed 2034 offensive. Trivia *The Red Line-Fourth Reich War might be a reference to the Eastern Front in World War II, which was fought between The Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, from whom the Red Line and Fourth Reich are based off. *It is unknown if the war originally existed in the book before the game release. However it can be assumed that since Metro 2035 will be a retelling of the events of Metro Last Light that the war is indeed canon in all Metro forms of media including the book Metro 2033. It is still possible that war between the two was ongoing in the Metro however the reader never sees or hears of it. This is most likely because the Reich is only encountered briefly in the book and Artyom never sees the Red Line. Gallery RedLineTankFrontLine.png|Red Line tank advancing on Reich's position Category:Wars Category:Events Category:Metro 2033 Video Game Category:Metro Last Light Category:Metro 2035